| Introduction
Armed violence (The UN Secretary-General defines armed violence as the international, threatened or actual, use of arms to inflict death or injury) – associated with conflict, crime and interpersonal violence – is an epidemic of global proportions. It represents a fundamental challenge to our common developmental and humanitarian goals, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This message was recently articulated by the Secretary General, in his report on armed violence and development (A/64/228) which highlights the costs of armed violence – to human development, human rights and in relation to the protection of civilians – and signals the importance of prevention and reduction as a vital component of work to achieve the MDGs through to 2015, and beyond.
The General Assembly High Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs in New York in September 2010 offers a critical moment to gauge our efforts in achieving the MDGs by 2015. That meeting will take stock of MDG achievements and identify strategies for accelerating progress. In preparation for the September High Level Plenary Meeting and the MDG Review Process the Government of Norway and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invited to The Oslo Conference on Armed Violence - Achieving the Millennium Development Goals on 20-22 April 2010. Due to the unprecedented air traffic problems the conference was cancelled, but a separate meeting on the issue is organised in Geneva on 12 May.
Objectives
Building upon an emerging international consensus to address armed violence as a humanitarian and development imperative, the Oslo conference will seek to generate international momentum to ensure that commitments to armed violence reduction and prevention are included in the High Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs, and reflected in subsequent MDG and developmental strategies through to 2015. The conference will also seek to build upon the commitments made in the Geneva Declaration and the Secretary-General’s report on armed violence and development to achieve measurable reductions in armed violence, and to agree on a series of practical steps to do so, including: monitoring armed violence and developing goals, targets and indicators for measurable reductions; implementing armed violence reduction programmes; assisting victims of armed violence to fully realize their rights; and working to implement these commitments through development planning, co-operation and assistance. The Oslo Conference meeting in Geneva on 12 May will seek the endorsement of ‘the Oslo Commitments on Armed Violence’– a set of concrete steps towards measurable reductions in armed violence, including support for the inclusion of armed violence in the MDG Review Summit.
Four papers have been commissioned as background for the conference, they are available on this website; these include papers on: i) measuring and monitoring armed violence - goals, targets and indicators; iii) armed violence prevention and reduction – what works; iv) victims and survivors of armed violence – responding to rights and needs.
Participation
The Oslo Conference offers a critical opportunity to agree on tangible steps towards the prevention and reduction of armed violence. It is important that those States attending the meeting are firmly committed to taking decisive action. For this reason, the conference will bring together those states that have previously demonstrated a willingness to work on armed violence in order to ensure progress at Oslo.
The Oslo Conference will bring together states from across the globe and will take into account the different concerns and needs of upper, middle, and lower-income countries; conflict and non-conflict affected states; net-donor and net-recipient states.
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